To Save a Life
by Kosmokrator
Summary: Post Brotherhood. Ed kept silent vigil as the human-homunculus conundrum slept peacefully leaning against his side. "What in the world am I doing?" He wondered as the train slowed to a stop near the familiar countryside station at Risembool.
1. 0: Prologue

**A/N: New story. So I've been delinquent for what? A year and a half? Well, that should let you know what you're in for if you start this story. Don't worry though, I'll still get back to the others. Who knows, I may even post to them again before I put this up.**

 **(EDIT: Year and a half? Never mind that just call it eternity and let's move on.)**

 **Also, when I write _-Early Morning-_ in the timestamp, I mean _early._ As in, what one would usually call late night, but is technically the next day. For this first section, think around 2:00am.**

 **Oh, and by the way, reading the timestamps is pretty crucial, as this prologue is not at all chronological.**

 **Without further ado…**

* * *

 **§ - Prologue: No Other Options - §**

* * *

 _-Early Morning, 3 April 1920-_

Ed kept silent vigil as the human-homunculus conundrum slept peacefully leaning against his side.

 _What in the world am I doing?_ He wondered as the train slowed to a stop near the familiar countryside station at Risembool. Ed took hold of the small bag he had brought to Central with one hand, and collected Selim in the other, careful not to wake him. This would be all the more difficult with a frightened, disoriented child to calm.

Before long Winry Elric awoke to rough knock on the door. Putting on just enough to be decent, she briefly checked to see her son and daughter still slumbering quietly before opening the door to reveal her husband, briefcase on the ground beside him, holding a small boy.

* * *

 _-31 March 1917-_

Führer Grumman watched as 2-year-old Selim worriedly delivered the injured bird to "Gramps" the butler.

"He has certainly grown up to be a kind boy," commented Amestris's leader.

"Yes," replied his predecessor's wife, turning her attention back to her visitor. "Everyone was against me raising him, but he's such a wonderful boy. I knew that there was nothing to worry about."

"We're gonna keep an eye on him a little while longer," Grumman informed Mrs. Bradley. Standing up to leave, he continued, "If he happens to develop any odd behaviors, you understand what must be done."

Confidently and resolutely the elderly Mrs. Bradley declared, "I'll see to it that never has to happen."

Grumman looked again to the remnant of Pride, who noticed and gave an enthusiastic wave. He returned it somewhat less enthusiastically, contemplating, _Homunculi and humans. Is it truly possible for us to live at peace with one another?_

* * *

 _-Morning, 2 April 1920-_

 _Unfortunately, to conclude our morning news broadcast we have a sad announcement. Our former first lady, Mrs. Elizabeth Bradley, passed away early this morning. We are told she departed painlessly while sleeping, though no further details were provided._

 _As most of our listeners will remember, Mrs. Bradley was the wife of the late Führer King Bradley and the mother of their child Selim, both of whom were killed during the attempted coup just under five years ago. Understandably, Mrs. Bradley has since stayed largely out of public view. Nevertheless, she remained dearly beloved by the citizens of Amestris. Mrs. Bradley will be sorely missed._

 _This has been your morning news at Radio Capital._

Winry Elric shut off the radio with a brief buzz of static. She briefly explored the rooms of her Risembool home before finding the object of her search.

Her husband noticed as she appeared in the doorway of his study and shifted his attention toward her.

"I just heard on the radio that Mrs. Bradley died today," she informed.

Edward Elric stared thoughtfully before answering, "that's sad to hear. I didn't know her all that well, but she was a kind old lady."

"She wasn't that old, was she?" asked Winry, both in response to his unorthodox epitaph and Mrs. Bradley's death itself.

"Well," he replied, "she was about the same age as Führer Bradley, and he was in power before we were born."

"I suppose that's true," she stated, but then noticed that Ed had begun shuffling around his desk. "Are going somewhere?"

Finishing his tidying, Ed explained, "I'm gonna need to head to Central."

Puzzling over his cryptic response, the mechanic prepared to protest, but the alchemist preempted her by reminding, "Mrs. Bradley was raising Pride."

* * *

Edward Elric arrived in Central City that evening and immediately made his way to Central Command Headquarters. Just as he was about to enter the complex, a familiar and ever-irritating voice caught him off guard.

"I see you heard the news, Fullmetal," came the 'greeting' from Amestris's newest and only three-star general.

"What are you doing here, bastard?" demanded Ed, quickly reverting to old habits.

Sighing, Mustang answered, "Someone has to deal with the affairs of the Bradley estate. Among other things, she still lived in the Führer's official residence, making the military the most appropriate arbitrator."

"And that brought you all the way out from East Command? I'm not buying it," the former Major-equivalent rebutted.

"And why, might I ask," Mustang questioned, "are you here?"

The formerly short, formerly state, formerly alchemist had developed a far better temperament than that of his military days; his original superior officer, however, still had a way of getting under his skin. "Don't dodge the question, bastard!"

Looking around and noticing a small but significant number of onlookers, Mustang proposed, "Perhaps we should discuss this inside."

Leading the way, Mustang brought Ed, Riza Hawkeye, and himself to a generic vacant conference room.

Unceremoniously, the elder Elric skipped straight to the impetus of his concern, "Are you here to kill Selim?"

He was met only with silence, and so looked to Riza, who did not make eye contact.

"So that's it then? You're just gonna kill him?" reiterated Ed. Without response once again, he continued, "Did he start to remember? Is he showing signs of his old powers?"

Composedly, Roy stated, "No, he's not."

"Then why are you doing this?" Edward queried, eyes widening slightly.

"Ed," Hawkeye interceded, "this decision wouldn't have been made if we had different choices available. We have no other options."

"What are you talking about? Just don't kill him," said Fullmetal.

The Flame Alchemist replied, "You know it's not that simple."

His anger and frustration mixed with his moral inflammation. Of course, he knew it was not that simple. There were all kinds of details that would need to be coordinated. But, in a larger sense…

"It _is_ that simple!" refuted Ed. "We kill or we don't kill, that's all there is to it! I refused to kill even when we were fighting Father and the homunculi. That didn't keep me from stopping them!"

"That didn't keep _us_ from stopping them," Roy retaliated. " _You_ may not have killed anyone, but we only survived because _others did_ kill."

Ed stood his ground, "It doesn't matter what _others_ do, _you_ can choose not to kill. Find some other way!"

"And I suppose _you'll_ just take care of him then?" challenged Mustang.

"Me?" Elric backpedaled, caught off-guard, "I can't do it… I'm not around all the time with my research. Besides, I've already got two kids to take care of, so I don't think–"

The General cut him off, saying, "What, don't like the idea of your wife and children alone with a homunculus?"

It was Edward's turn to remain silent.

"As we said before, there are no other options," declared General Mustang definitively.

"Fine," conceded Edward Elric.

"I'm glad you've finally come around, Fullmetal. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but we must," Roy said.

"I'll take care of Selim," Ed said, sending two pairs of eyebrows sky-high.

The ladder-climbing duo jolted in surprise, "You can't possibly be serious, Fullmetal."

Edward Elric fixated intensely on his former commander, fiercely resolute as ever. "Like I said, it is that simple. If there's only one way to move forward without killing, then as far as I'm concerned, there's only one way at all."

* * *

 _-15 April 1915-_

"He'll kill me!" exclaimed a frantic and breaking homunculus Pride to the soul of the absorbed Crimson Alchemist.

Unmoved, Kimblee responded, "If you think that, then you still don't understand Edward Elric."

Pride cried out in pain as the Fullmetal Alchemist forced his way into the baleful pneumatic tempest. Recovering, he questioned to no one, "Impossible! He's turned himself into a philosopher's stone, and now he's coming inside me?"

"I've caught you!" Ed said, grasping the oldest Homunculus's soul. "You are mine!"

For the first time in his lengthy existence truthfully frightened, Pride pleaded desperately, "Stop this!"

A weak image of his fake family flashed before him, and he cried even more desperately, "Stop this!"

Seeing the vision once more, he begged more desperately still, "Please stop!"

The final "stop" drew out as the last shreds of Pride's dignity gave way to panic and terror, all of these ceasing in an instant as the ancient child's consciousness failed.

* * *

 _-Evening, 2 April 1920-_

A pair of Military Police escorted Edward Elric down the corridors of the capital fortress.

"Wait here," Mustang had said bluntly, leaving the room. Hawkeye directed two MPs to ensure that he complied. Ed had waited about fifteen minutes, silently contemplating the decision he had just made. It was impulsive, in a sense. Ed had determined his course almost thoughtlessly. But Ed had not done so recklessly. He chose thoughtlessly because no thought was necessary. To save a life, there was only one option, and he had taken it. Even so, he couldn't help but consider the repercussions he – and more importantly his family – would face as a result.

His thoughts had been interrupted when his wardens received a message. Indicating that he ought to follow them, they departed to wherever it was that they were now headed. Not altogether surprisingly, Ed soon found himself entering the office of the Führer. Less expected were the members of the room. Führer Grumman was present, of course, but rather than Mustang and Hawkeye, other members of the new Senior Staff, or the entourage of aides, adjutants, and assistants constantly swarming the highest-ranking officer, the only other individual in the room was a happy and playful 5-year-old child. _No, wait, 500-year-old homunculus_ , Ed corrected himself.

"Ah," exclaimed the old man, "Selim, this nice man is here to take you home. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

So stunned was Edward by the abruptness with which Grumman had transferred responsibility that he was barely able to respond when the boy said, "My name is Selim! What's your name?"

Stammering momentarily, Ed glanced at Grumman, who nodded toward Selim. "My name's Edward. It's nice to meet you, Selim."

"Now Selim, it's been fun to play with you all day, but I think it's about time you headed home. You've got a long ride," stated the Führer.

"Long ride?" asked Selim, confused. "My house is just outside."

As the Child stared naïvely at the older gentleman, Ed understood of just how little Selim was aware.

 _He's old enough to understand his mother is gone,_ he thought. _So they clearly haven't told him anything._

"Come on, Selim," said Ed softly, "let's go home."

The boy walked over to his side and reach out his hand, which the young man hesitantly accepted.

As the MPs guided the pair out of Central HQ, Selim announced, "Wait, Mister Edward! We have to get Mama!"

The MPs looked at each other uncomfortably but said nothing, returning within the doors to the military compound.

This was Ed's first encounter with Selim since he had delivered the broken homunculus to Mrs. Bradley after the Promised Day. To be honest, seeing the fragile, naïve child grasping his hand and calling for his mother, it was hard to remember that this was once a ruthless, bloodthirsty, man-eating monster. Which, in fact, spurred some interesting epiphanies. _Grumman spent all day with him, and was still willing to have him executed,_ Ed realized. And then further, _And he kept secret what happened to Mrs. Bradley. Selim's last day wouldn't be spent mourning and grieving._ Ed certainly had mixed feelings about Grumman's inscrutable choices. But that wasn't something on which he could dwell at the moment.

"She… she's not coming with us," Ed told the young boy.

Confused once more, Selim asked, "Where are we going?"

"We're going home," Ed answered, "A new home."

"I don't want a new home!" Selim declared. "I want to go home to Mama!"

Unable to come up with a reply, Ed deflected, "We need to hurry so we don't miss the train, okay?"

Selim, momentarily distracted, nodded and resumed walking beside his new caretaker.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you thought of it (if you're willing). Are people in-character (or believably near given the time jumps)? Is the situation awkward and forced, or understandable and authentic?**

 **Also, in order to get a little momentum, I'll be finishing up at least the first chapter before I post this.**

 **-Samswimmer (EDIT: Kosmokrator now, not Samswimmer)**


	2. 1: Home

**A/N: Hey again, guys. I wanted to get a bit further ahead before I posted the story, so here, so very quickly, is the first chapter! (The last one was a prologue.) Nothing really to say here, since I'm writing this before I've even posted the other one. Enjoy! (And maybe review, too if you feel so inclined)**

 **Sections of italics in the middle of normal text are flashbacks.**

* * *

Book 1: The Elric Family Photo

 **§ - Chapter 1: Home - §**

* * *

 _Before long Winry Elric awoke to rough knock on the door. Putting on just enough to be decent, she briefly checked to see her son and daughter still slumbering quietly before opening the door to reveal her husband, briefcase on the ground beside him, holding a small boy._

 _-Early Morning, 3 April 1920-_

"Ed!" Winry cried, her hushed voiced carrying the implications of a yell, "What…?"

"We're going to be taking care of Selim for a while," Ed answered the question she hadn't voiced.

Looking at the boy, arms wrapped around Ed like any napping child, she repeated, "A while?"

"Indefinitely," he responded.

She inquired again, "Permanently?"

Her husband only shrugged, but Winry had a feeling they both knew the answer.

"I'm sorry to ask this," Edward started, "but could you sleep in the room with the kids tonight?"

He knew he could not let Selim be killed, but Mustang was not wrong. He was truthfully quite unsettled by the thought of his wife or children sleeping defenselessly near the boy that was Pride.

Winry wanted to ask more questions, demand more explanation, but now was not the time. As big of a change had just been thrust upon the young family, making a large deal of it now would not help at all. And she had their kids to think about. Even Selim was sleeping soundly. No one would benefit from a strong reaction right now.

Winry simply nodded and went to get the spare mattress they kept for guests. Edward deposited Pride into the bed he and Winry normally shared, shut and locked the door, and set himself up in an armchair facing the bed. The adults slowly but surely drifted into dark unconsciousness in their irregular configuration.

And for the remainder of the night, the Elric household slept quietly undisturbed.

* * *

 _-Morning, April 3 1920-_

Selim was pestered awake by the unwelcome appearance of the sun in his room. Groggily opening his eyes and scrubbing away the dreariness of sleep with his hands, he noticed unfamiliar surroundings. He was not, in fact, in his room. This room was smaller. The ceiling was lower. The palate was somewhat darker.

Most importantly, in a chair across the room, a strange man was sleeping facing him. Uncertain and disoriented, Selim removed himself from the bed and made his way to the door. Failing to open it initially, he discovered the lock, and began to unfasten it when he heard a voice.

"You're awake," spoke the man from the armchair.

Selim turned, startled, before his mind began to fill in the gaps in his memory. "Mister Edward! Um… where are we?"

"Remember how I said we were going to a new home?" Ed said cautiously, remembering Selim's original reaction.

This time, perhaps overwhelmed, the boy merely nodded.

Ed followed up, "Well, this is it."

Selim looked around the room, studying it with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"This is my room," informed Ed. "Do you want to see the rest of the house?"

"Yes, please," said Selim, polite as usual.

Checking the time, Ed noticed it was shortly before seven, when he had intended to awaken. As a matter of course, neither of his children would be awake yet. Depending on what errands she had planned, Winry could normally be either awake and preparing for the day or letting herself sleep in, but Ed suspected that she would still be asleep today regardless of that due to the disturbance the previous night.

Considering this, Ed announced, "I'll have to wait to show you the other bedroom. There are people sleeping right now."

Selim simply stood as Ed finished unfastening the lock and opened the dooring, revealing the door hallway leading to the rest of the house.

Ed pointed to the two other doors in his bedroom, saying, "Those lead to the closet and the bathroom."

He then stepped out into the hall, and Selim did likewise.

"That door down there leads to the kids' bedroom," he said, indicating a door near the end of the hall before walking in the other direction.

In this way, Ed walked Selim through each room in the house. It was well suited for the Elrics. Ed and Al had designed and built it specifically for the family. It had three bedroom suites, the master, one for the children, and a guest suite which Al would use when he was in town. There were basics: a living room, a dining area, a guest bathroom, and a sizeable kitchen per Winry's request. It also boasted a large storage room, a dedicated library room, and a study, accommodating Ed's bookish tendencies.

Each room was quite spacious, as the open countryside of Risembool posed very little in the way of restrictions to the buildings square footage; however, the sheer number of doors in hallways could sometimes confuse visitors. But being used to a much more complex floor plan from living in the Führer's residence, this was no difficulty for Selim. He silently absorbed all the information Ed presented, his only communication an occasional nod to acknowledge what he was being told.

On the one hand, this was somewhat relieving. There was no tearful breakdown or outburst of juvenile anger. On the other, Ed could not get a gauge on what exactly the boy was thinking and feeling.

By the conclusion of the tour seven o'clock had slipped stealthily by, and from the living room to which Ed and Selim had recently returned, Winry could be seen quietly exiting her children's room and carefully shutting the door so as not to disturb them.

Selim look at her with a hint of curiosity, so Ed took the natural opportunity to introduce his other half, "This is Winry, my wife."

"Hello, Miss Winry," said the child a bit cautiously.

"You must be Selim. Ed said that you'd be staying with us," Winry addressed him, walking over to where he was seated. "I was just about to start making breakfast. Are you hungry?"

Her friendly demeanor and casual attitude quickly put the boy at ease, and he nodded, reinforcing his nod with a polite, "Yes, thank you!"

"Well in that case, I'll go get started," she declared, heading to the kitchen.

As she walked by, the newly relaxed Selim turned to her husband and asked, "Mister Edward, when is Mama going to come?"

At that she stopped in her stride and turned to speak once more to Selim, "Selim, why don't you wash your hands and come join me in the kitchen. I could use some help."

Saved by her intervention, Ed was relieved to hear Selim respond with an "Okay" and enter the nearby restroom to clean his hands.

In a hushed tone, Winry stated, "You have to tell him."

Careful not to let Selim hear, he replied, "I know. I just haven't figured out how yet."

"You'd better think of something fast," she told him. "I'm sure he'll be asking again soon."

"I know," Ed said again.

Selim walked out of the bathroom and started walking to where Winry stood.

Ed couldn't help but feel fear and anxiety bubbling up in the back of his mind as the oldest and most powerful of Father's children approached his wife, and he suggested, "How about we all work on breakfast together?"

* * *

About half an hour later, breakfast was nearing completion. Ed had labored strenuously at tasks like beating the eggs and buttering the toast, while Selim had performed such vital duties as fetching the salt and pepper. All in all, they hadn't done much to make the job notably easier for Winry, and it may have even taken a bit longer. Even so, she was glad to have her husband's company. And despite what both Ed and Al had told her about Pride—the terrible things he had done, and how even they had been totally fooled by the persona of Selim he wore in public—she found it hard to believe that this seemingly innocent and kind child could ever have been the monster they described.

So when it came time to set the table for the meal, she had no qualms in requesting, "Ed, would you go wake up the kids? It's just about time to eat."

Ed, was not so worry-free. He hesitated, looking at the source of his unease.

"I'll be fine, Ed," she said, leaving Ed to either talk about Selim in front of him or accept her request and go. If this was going to be a permanent arrangement, he would have to get used to the idea of her being alone with Selim, as difficult as that might be.

After a moment more, he acquiesced and departed for the children's bedroom.

With Selim's participation, Winry brought the food and appropriate dishes to the table in the dining room and poured the appropriate drinks for herself, her children, her spouse, and her newfound ward. A few minutes later, Ed came out with a young girl clutched in his arms and a slightly older boy toddling next to him.

Winry transferred the girl to her own arms and walked over to Selim, and the boy followed suit. Edward felt sick to his stomach but fought back the panic as best he could.

"Selim, this is our daughter, Nina Mae. She's just over one year old," she said, showing the sleepy Nina to Selim. "Would you like to say 'Hi' to Nina?"

"Hi, Nina," he said moderately quietly.

Nina babbled lightly in response. It was all Ed could do not to grab his children and leave the room with them.

Winry took Nina back to Ed and then guided the little boy up to Selim, "Selim, this is Alphonse. We call him Al, and sometimes Junior. Al, this is Selim."

Alphonse Van Elric said, "Hi, Selim," or at least he tried. The "hi" came out well, and he did his best to approximate the unfamiliar name, saying something that more closely resembled 'She'im' than 'Selim'. He then waddled over to his usual seat at the table and began clambering onto the chair.

Winry then told Selim, "You can take this seat," and took Nina from Ed, fitted her into a bib, and set her onto her seat.

In the process, she briefly whispered to Edward, "Everything's okay."

His panic subsiding into a more palatable discomfort, Ed took his own see at the breakfast table.

* * *

After breakfast was over, Ed brought Selim back into his room, preparing himself for the difficult conversation that was to follow. Winry had taken their son and daughter to Pinako's house for his peace of mind. Ed was not sure exactly how the boy would deal with his loss, and he was not going to be taking any unnecessary chances.

Ed sat Selim down on the bed and took a seat next to him. He was never able to come up with any especially good way to approach the subject, leaving him at a bit of a loss.

He sighed and initiated, "Selim… Your mother isn't going to come."

Not sounding overly concerned right off the bat, Selim asked, "Why not? Can we go see her?"

Cautiously, Ed started to explain, "Remember when I came to get you?"

"Mmhmm," affirmed Selim, nodding.

"You see, your mother got really sick that day," said Edward.

Surprise evident on his face and Concern in his voice, he asked, "Is she gonna be okay?"

"No," Ed told him, "No, she's not. Her body stopped working, and she died."

The child's concern turn to outright fear and he inquired, "When will she get better?"

Ed did not trust Selim. He did not want Selim near his family. But he could hardly keep detached when answering a question like that. To see a child so innocent and young grappling with death, even though he was technically neither innocent nor young, wrenched his heart.

Preparing his composure, Edward answered, "She won't get better, Selim."

Glimmers of comprehension exposed themselves on Selim's face as he worked to process what he had been told. Unsurprisingly, tears quickly began to manifest in the boy's eyes; what did surprise Ed, however, was how Selim latched on to him as he bawled, climbing onto his lap and sobbing into his shoulder. Petrified by the shock, Ed recovered and did the only thing he could think of to comfort the crying Selim. He reached his arms around and tightly hugged the boy, allowing him to weep on his shoulder.

* * *

 _-Afternoon, 5 April 1920-_

Selim's third night with the Elrics passed, and Ed was finally ready to make alternative sleeping arrangements. Requests from Winry had been met with great resistance in the prior two days, but by now Ed was finally resigning himself to the fact that he could not be on constant vigil for signs of Pride. For this reason, Ed, Winry, and Selim were currently moving Selim into the guest bedroom of the house. There was little work to do, as Selim only had a few toys and some clothes that had been delivered the previous day by a member of the military. In an attempt to make it home for Selim, Winry had elected to let reorganize the room to his liking.

Ed found this arrangement suboptimal. While the doors were such that Selim would need to pass by his own bedroom's entrance in order to get to the children, the master suit was across the hall from the other two, meaning the homunculus child would be sleeping closer to Ed's children than he was.

On a less important issue, it also meant sleeping with the door open just in case, which needless to say was not the standard practice.

* * *

 _-10 April 1920-_

The strangest part of Selim living with the Elric family, in Ed's opinion, was how quickly it became normal.

Every morning, Ed was careful to rise at least fifteen minutes before the sun, knowing that it would awaken Selim and wanting to be fully awake himself when the boy emerged from his quarters.

After Selim's second day, he quickly realized that he should have something prepared to do, as sitting around quietly until Winry woke was fairly awkward. Conversation between the two did not exactly flow naturally.

 _Ed was sitting on the couch when Selim entered the living room._

 _Standing a ways off, the child simply hovered, visibly uncomfortable._

 _"You can sit down, if you want," Ed said._

 _Selim quietly nodded and sat down._

 _Attempting pleasantries, Ed enquired, "Did you sleep well?"_

 _Selim nodded again, and silence resumed._

This in mind, Ed found a puzzle for the third morning. It was a bit large, so it was set aside for the next day, on which the pair managed to finish it. On the third day, Edward brought playing cards and taught Selim how to play Snap, and they played that for the following two days as well.

Ed had brought the cards again this morning, but Selim had his own activity in mind. When he emerged from the guest suite for the day, Selim bore a small book.

 _"Could you read this to me?" the boy had asked._

 _Not waiting for an affirmative, Selim sat himself on the sofa beside Ed and proffered the book, noting, "It's my favorite."_

About half an hour later each day, Winry would wake up, and Ed and Selim would "help" her fix breakfast for the family. Seeing five chairs at the table with five settings in front of them already just felt standard.

 _"Now put just a little pepper…" Winry started, and trailed off when Selim poured far, far too much pepper into the eggs._

 _"Like this, Miss Winry?" he asked._

To reduce Edward's anxiousness (as so many things seemed to be in the past week), Winry had been bringing Al and Nina to work with her, leaving them in the capable care of their grandmother Pinako Rockbell, whose house doubled as the family business Rockbell Automail.

Selim would spend the mornings playing with toys while Edward researched in his study or "assisted" Ed with work around the house just as he "helped" Winry with breakfast.

 _"What can I do?" Selim inquired expectantly as Ed prepared to begin repairing a door._

 _"How about you hold it open for me?" Ed suggested._

 _"Oh, I know!" he exclaimed and ran off, returning moments later with the doorstop from the front entrance, "You can use this, so I can help more!"_

For lunch, Ed would bring Selim along with him to Pinako's house. Pinako would fix a simple meal, typically sandwiches or a soup, and the whole group would spend a little time together.

The afternoons were a simple repeat of the mornings, ending with Winry's return to the household and a family dinner.

On her own insistence, Winry would then take responsibility for Selim, entertaining him while Edward spent time with his own children. When Ed had protested on the usual grounds, she had told him, "I'm not going to let you stop being a part of your children's lives."

Ed could not possibly argue against it, so it had been added to the daily routine.

 _"I thought we could take a little walk. It's a very nice evening," Winry suggested._

 _Selim shifted around nervously and informed her, "I'm usually not supposed to go outside…"_

Finally, after an hour or two of fun and games, Winry would help Selim to bed, and Ed would do the same for Nina and Al.

Then Ed and Winry had two to three hours, depending on how tired they were, to spend with each other.

It was not the ideal schedule. It had cut out their mornings alone. It had greatly reduced Ed's interactions with his children as well. But at least for now, this had become the new normal.

* * *

 **A/N: Snap is apparently a children's card game that was around in 1920. It's still a thing according to the internet, but I've never seen it. It's a lot like ERS, if you know that game, but with less violence.**

 **I think I'll write at least one more chapter before I post, so see you there! As always, feel free but not obliged to tell me what you thought via review!**

 **-Samswimmer (EDIT: -Kosmokrator)**


	3. 2: Afraid

**A/N: I was going to just do one more, and I did, but then I decided I really needed a chapter in between them. This is that chapter.**

* * *

Book 1: The Elric Family Photo

 **§ - Chapter 2: Afraid - §**

* * *

 _-Morning, 11 April 1920-_

This morning, Husband and Wife both awoke quite early, giving the pair a few minutes alone before their ward rose for the day and required Ed's attendance.

"What's on your list for the day?" asked Winry, still adjusting herself to the new day.

Ed imparted his plan, "I've got a lot of research I need to get done. That'll probably take most of the day. How about you?"

"Nothing, really," Winry replied. "I don't have any pressing big projects right now, and it is Sunday. You should take the day off, too."

"No, I really need to keep working on my research," Ed told his wife.

"I'm guessing you still want me to take the kids to the shop?" supposed Winry.

Ed affirmed, "I'm not comfortable with the idea of them being around him all day."

"There hasn't been a single problem," Winry reminded her husband, "and I'd be there to supervise the whole time."

"I know, I know. Maybe we could try it on Saturday. I'm just not ready for that yet," Ed insisted.

"You'll have to get used to it at some point," Winry rebuffed. "We can't just keep them apart indefinitely."

"Maybe on Saturday," Ed repeated.

Winry sighed, annoyed, but accepting Ed's judgement. She did not agree, but could not fault him for wanting to protect his family. At some point soon, however, things were going to need to change. This was hardly a permanent solution.

She might have pushed it a bit more, but she knew that any moment, Selim would be emerging from his room. Neither of them wanted to explain what they were talking about.

* * *

 _-Afternoon, 11 April 1920-_

Not long ago, Ed and Selim had returned from lunch at Pinako's. Ed had gathered a few books from his library and set himself down in his study.

He was still in the process of reviewing his notes from his last session working on this particular project when he noticed the house's newest resident standing in the doorway, one hand on the frame.

Normally when Ed was occupied with research, the boy would entertain himself with his toys, whether it be in his bedroom, in the living room, or on the floor in the study near Ed, but this seemed different.

Ed could clearly see that Selim was waiting on recognition, so repositioned to face the child and asked, "Is everything alright?"

"What are you reading?" asked Selim.

"These books are about alchemy," Ed told him, finding no reason not to share.

Selim looked at the stack on the desk before commenting, "They look really big. Is it a really long story?"

"Well, they're not exactly stories," Ed explained, "they're full of helpful information."

"Is that fun to read?" Selim inquired curiously.

"Well, I don't know if I'd say it's fun. These are like Winry's cookbooks. She has books that don't have stories in them, they have instructions on how to make food. So it's not a lot of fun to read them, but after she does, she knows how to make cake, or a pie, or whatever else she read about," he elaborated. "It's like that."

"Oh," said Selim simply.

Ed turned back to his work, noting that Selim had not left his position in the entrance. He found his place in his notes and restarted the paragraph that had been interrupted, but would once again be prevented from finishing.

"Mister Edward?" the child spoke up.

This time just turning his head, Ed answered, "Yes, Selim?"

"Um… do you want any help?" the boy questioned.

"I think I've got it taken care of," Ed replied.

"Okay," said Selim.

He turned returned to his notes once more. He put his finger to the same paragraph, but since Selim still stood shifting in the doorway, he did not begin again.

Just as expected, Selim initiated again, "Mister Edward?"

"Yes, Selim?" Ed answered, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

If the Selim registered his, he gave no indication as he provided, "I think I might still be a little hungry."

"Did you not get enough to eat at lunch?" Ed asked, recalling that Selim had eaten about as much as he normally did. Maybe even a bit more.

"I guess not," Selim acknowledged.

Ed gave a small sigh before closing his notes on his desk and relenting, "let's go see if we can't find something for you."

* * *

Edward doubted that Selim would actually eat very much, so he had prepared half of a sandwich for the boy and served it at the dining room table.

Selim took only two bites before seeming rather disinterested with the food.

"Are you finished?" Ed asked, preparing to clear the table.

Instead, he was met with a negative, "No, I'm still eating."

Selim immediately took another bite, but stopped again afterwards.

Another few minutes passed, and Ed queried, "Should I throw the rest away?"

Instantly the boy grabbed the sandwich ate another bite, saying after he finished chewing, "I'm not done yet."

Selim picked at the sandwich a bit longer, and Ed prepared to ask yet again when decided to change his tactic.

"When you're finished, we could go play a game," Edward suggested.

The response was immediate, "I think I might be full now, Mister Edward."

 _I thought you might be,_ Ed thought to himself as he threw the remainder of the sandwich away and cleaned the plate on which he had served it.

"Did you want to play Snap?" Ed asked.

"Yes, please!" Selim exclaimed, accentuating his words with several enthusiastic nods.

Ed could not help but smile a bit as he said, "I'll go get the cards."

* * *

 _-Evening, 11 April 1920-_

Like every night, after Dinner, Winry took responsibility for Selim while Ed shut himself into his children's room with them.

Looking to start conversation with the dark-haired boy, Winry asked, "How was your afternoon?"

"It was great, Miss Winry!" Selim proclaimed. "Mister Edward played Snap with me, and then read to me, and then we played with my toys!"

"It sounds like you were very busy. No wonder you ate so much at dinner," Winry declared.

Selim nodded sagely.

Winry continued, "Didn't Edward have any work to do? What did you do then?"

"Well," Selim answered, "he was doing work at first. He was reading some books, but he said there were no stories in them. He said you had books like that too. But then he started playing with me, instead. Maybe he was not having fun working."

"Mister Edward really likes his work. He finds it very fun. He must like playing with you a lot if he stopped working."

Selim blushed at the indirect compliment and shyly declared, "I like playing with Mister Edward too."

"I bet you do," agreed Winry. "But I hope you don't mind playing with me for a while."

"Could we go walk again?" Selim requested. "Outside is really pretty."

Winry concurred, "Of course we can. The weather's good, and it's always nice to get some fresh air."

Winry put on her shoes and helped Selim to do the same.

"You'll have to take my hand," she told him as they prepared to leave the house.

"Okay," said Selim, grasping her extended hand as she opened the front door.

* * *

 _-Night, 11 April 1920-_

Ed was sitting comfortably on his living room chair when his wife shut the door to Selim's room for the night. Not long ago, he himself had put Nina and Al to bed.

Winry walked out into the living room and spoke, a slight teasing quality in her speech, "I heard you played with Selim all afternoon."

"Yeah, well, I was trying to work, but he wouldn't leave me alone," Ed rebutted against the vaguely mocking remark.

"Well, he was very excited that you spent the time with him," Winry conveyed the eager child's sentiments as she placed herself onto the sofa.

"It could've been anybody," her husband answered, moving from his chair to take a seat next to her. "It took me a little while to figure it out, but he was just feeling lonely."

Winry raised her eyebrows and commented, "That may be true, but he also seems to like having you around."

"He's a kid," stated Edward. "Kids like people who play with them."

Winry resituated, angling herself more directly toward Edward before broaching a new subject, "You know, you're allowed to like Selim."

Ed sighed and responded, "I do like Selim. I liked Selim the first time I met him, too."

"But?" the mechanic prompted.

"Selim was an act before. All other things aside, it just seems a little weird that he's growing up into exactly the same person he pretended to be before," Fullmetal finished. "It's a little hard to believe."

"You think he's faking it?" Winry asked.

Edward shook his head. "No, I don't think he's faking. Five whole years with no slip-ups? Pride could probably do that, but what would be the point?

"Even if he's not faking it, that doesn't mean he'll never remember. For all we know, he could still have his abilities and just not know how to use them," Ed added.

"Couldn't you test that?" Winry proposed, curious.

"What, cut off a finger and see if it grows back?" Sarcastically suggested Ed. "Even if we waited for him to get hurt on his own, he couldn't heal. I took away all of his extra souls.

"His body was supposed to be just a container for his real self. Theoretically, he should probably still be a living shadow inside the child's shell. But the container didn't grow the way he does now, so there's really no way to be sure what else might have changed," elucidated the former Alchemist. "Maybe he's just a normal kid who happens to be artificial."

"But you don't believe that," observed Winry.

"Seems like a bit of a stretch, don't you think? Take a man-eating superweapon and take away the souls it devoured, and what's left is just an ordinary kid?" Ed presented.

"When you put it that way, it really doesn't seem very likely," Winry acknowledged.

Winry yawned, and the pair silently agreed that now would make a good moment to head to their bedroom.

"You know," Winry added as they walked down the hallway towards the master suite, "you don't seem like you're afraid of him anymore."

* * *

Selim was having trouble sleeping. He rolled over to find a better position.

He tried again after a little while. It wasn't working.

After felt like hours had passed, Selim decided that was enough. He was sure Mister Edward and Miss Winry would know what to do about it. They seemed to have the answers to everything.

The raven-haired 5-year-old plopped himself out of bed and made his way over to the door. He was about to turn the handle when he hurt faintly through the door the sound of the grown-ups talking to each other.

The muffled voice of Mister Edward came through first. Listening closely, he could make out the words, "…living shadow inside the child's shell. But the container didn't grow the way he does now, so there's really no way to be sure what else might have changed."

Selim could not figure out what that meant, but he did not like the sound of it. It conjured up images of human shaped shadows running along the walls of his room.

Caught up in his visualizations, he barely noticed that he had missed Miss Winry talk entirely, and Mister Edward was speaking again, "…bit of a stretch, don't you think? Take a man-eating superweapon and take away the souls it devoured, and what's left is just an ordinary kid?"

Selim's imagination ran wild. He still did not really understand what Mister Edward was saying, but now pictures of shadow men running around taking little glowing lights for souls and leaving with them were invading his thoughts. On top of that, there was some scary monster called a 'superweapon' that was eating people! It probably had big teeth and a huge mouth. It had to in order to eat people. Even the shadow people were running away from it.

Too frightened to open the door, Selim crawled swiftly back into his bed and hid himself within the covers, as if the warmth and comfort of the blankets would safely and securely protect him for the imagined terrors.

Selim remained in this state, afraid and alone, for what felt like an eternity, but eventually, his consciousness lapsed and he began to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Blah blah blah… I don't think there's anything to add here. Keep reading if you want. The next chapter should already be up. See you there (I hope)!**

 **-Samswimmer (-Kosmokrator)**


	4. 3: Mama

**A/N: I think this'll be the last chapter I write before I post. Enjoy!**

* * *

Book 1: The Elric Family Photo

 **§ - Chapter 3: Mama - §**

* * *

 _-Early Morning, 12 April 1920-_

Ed awoke from a small noise. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Pride looming in his open doorway.

Adrenalin rushed, his heart pounded, and he almost jumped to action before he realized that it was Selim, not Pride per se, standing bashfully at the room's entrance. Nevertheless, his violent response woke his wife from her slumber, and she ultimately spoke first of the three.

"Is everything alright, Selim?" she asked the boy.

Selim shifted for a moment before admitting, "I had a scary dream, Miss Winry."

Edward had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew what was coming next.

His wife gently answered the timid child, "Would you like to stay in here tonight?

 _Of course_ , thought Ed.

Selim nodded shyly, and Winry motioned him in.

 _Of course,_ thought Ed.

Rather unceremoniously, Selim climbed into the bed and, unexpectedly, grabbed on to Edward's arm. Like before, Ed was not sure what exactly to do. Luckily for him Selim was asleep almost instantly, giving him a free pass.

 _Maybe I should stop being surprised,_ he remarked internally as his body relaxed from the fright and he began returning to sleep.

* * *

 _-Morning, 12 April 1920-_

When Edward woke up, he felt something wrapped around his arm. Recalling the events of the night, he turned to see Selim in the exact same position as before. Seeing as getting up fifteen minutes before the probably-former homunculus would be impossible, Ed allowed himself the luxury of a few extra minutes in bed. Selim stayed unconscious for longer than normal. Maybe he was extra tired from his unsettling nightmares. Regardless, he was still asleep when Winry began to stir.

Dozily sitting up, she looked at the boy hanging onto her husband and said with a smile, "How cute."

At the sound and motion, Selim began to wake as well, and he rolled away from Ed, waking up to Wiry looking down at him.

Still only half conscious, he smiled at her and said, "Good morning, Mama."

* * *

Selim woke up, his mind still cloudy from sleep, and saw a familiar woman watching him.

"Good morning, Mama," he told her.

Her eyes went wide with surprise, and he was confused why. He had just said good morning. As both his visual and metal acuities became less fuzzy, he realized what just emerged from his mouth, and with it came a tidal wave of emotions. For one thing, he was frightfully embarrassed, knowing full well that Miss Winry was not Mama. With embarrassment naturally came shame at having made such a stupid mistake. Beyond his embarrassment and shame, and increasingly strong pang of guilt throbbed in his heart. He felt a sense of betrayal, having given to someone else the name reserved for Mama. It only built as he realized that over the last two or three days, he had hardly even thought about Mama.

Unable to help himself, tears began to fall from his eyes. He wanted to hug Mister Edward again, but that was Mama's job. He clambered of the bed and ran into his room. Burying his face in his own pillow, he cried and cried until he heard a voice.

"Selim?"

He lifted his head up. It was Mister Edward.

The man came over and sat on the bed a little ways away from him.

"Selim, what's wrong?" asked Mister Ed softly.

Selim sniffled and sat up. "I called Miss Winry 'Mama'," he said, "but she's not my Mama." Then, much quieter, "I want my Mama back."

Selim inquired of Mister Edward, his dejected expression suggesting he already knew the answer, "There's no way for her to come back?"

Mister Edward only shook his head.

They sat in silence for a minute or two, before the man asked, "Can I do anything to help?"

Selim shook his head, informing his caretaker, "That's Mama's job."

A bit of clarity appeared on Mister Ed's face. He recognized this.

"Don't you think your Mama would want you to be happy?" asked Mister Edward.

Selim nodded.

"And don't you think your Mama would want you to be taken care of?" he continued.

Selim nodded again.

"We don't want to take her place," said Mister Edward. "It's true, we're going to do some of the jobs that your Mama used to do for you. But we don't want to take her place.

"You know, when I was little, my Mama died too."

Selim sniffled again and asked, "She did?"

"Yeah," confirmed Mister Edward. "And after that, you know what happened to me?"

"What?" queried Selim.

"Other people started to take care of me. Pinako, Winry's grandmother, took me in. And later, a nice lady named Izumi took care of me too," Mister Edward explained.

Enraptured in the simplistic yet relatable tale, Selim questioned, "Really?"

"Yep, but you know what?" Mister Edward continued, "Even though they took care of me and did the things that my Mama used to do, they never replaced her."

"But that's a Mama's job!" Selim protested.

"Well, you see, it's not like you replace one Mama with another. It's more like there's two of them now," Mister Edward tried to explain, trying to explain how multiple people could fill the same role without competing for it.

"So…" Selim hesitated.

Mister Edward looked at him encouragingly, so he finished, "it's okay if I call Miss Winry 'Mama'?"

* * *

"So… it's okay if I call Miss Winry 'Mama'?" Selim asked.

Ed was taken aback, although he did his best not to show it. This was not at all how he had intended for this conversation to end. How it got here, he was not quite sure.

When he had offered to foster Selim, he had imagined it much more as a ward and guardian relationship, not an adoption. But here was Selim, asking if he could call Ed's wife his Mama. And how could he say no after what he had just said?

Still stunned, he replied, "I guess, so, yeah."

Once again, Selim looked like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue out of nervousness.

"What is it?" prompted Ed.

"Does… does that make you 'Papa'?" Selim concluded hesitantly.

If Ed was shocked before, now he was floored. Even after Selim had determined to call Winry 'Mama', it had never even crossed his mind that the same might be extended to him. After all, Selim had a mother in his life before, but never a father.

"I guess so," said Ed, at a loss.

Selim scooted over next to Edward, and Edward put an arm around the boy.

 _I guess so,_ thought Ed.

After a while, Ed stood and walked out the room, giving Selim a smile on the way out.

Winry caught him just outside, asking him, "How did it go?"

"Apparently," he informed her, "we're Mama and Papa now."

* * *

Selim was not sure whether he would be able to call Miss Winry 'Mama'. It was good to know that he was not replacing Mama with a new one, but it still felt a little like he was. He would not want Mama to think that he did not want her anymore.

But calling Mister Edward 'Papa' would be easy. After all, he had no other Papa. And besides, Mister Edward spent so much time with him. Every morning, he would get up and play games with him, and then all day, Selim got to play near him or help him with his work. It would be easy to think of him as a Papa. Selim felt almost excited at the prospect. He had never had a Papa before.

Soon after Mister Ed—no, Papa—had left, Miss Winry came into his room to see him.

"How are you feeling, Selim?" she asked kindly.

"Better. I'm gonna call Mister Edward 'Papa' now!" Selim said, his excitement obvious.

Winry responded, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," confirmed Selim, "but I'm not sure about calling you 'Mama', Miss Winry."

She looked surprised and asked, "Why is that?"

"Because Mama is 'Mama'. What if she thinks I don't like her anymore?" Selim explained his concern.

"I see," said Miss Winry, giving it some thought. "What if you called us 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' instead? That way, you could still show your mama that you like her and she's still important to you."

Selim liked the sound of that. It seemed really weird to call them Papa and Miss Winry, anyway.

He expressed himself, "Okay, Mommy!" already trying out the new moniker. He liked it.

Mommy's face lit up like a lightbulb. Selim could tell it made her happy.

Mommy and Daddy.

It made him happy, too.

* * *

Ed lingered quietly as his wife and ward cooked breakfast for the family. Typically, he performed trivial tasks, but today he was too caught up in his thoughts to participate.

He observed as Winry unreservedly allowed Selim to help as always. Per usual, she sometimes had to invent a menial task to ensure he could always contribute. Ed could tell that not everything was the same. Winry had never been ungracious. She also did not usually smile quite so widely when Selim was not even looking.

For his part, the black-eyed boy took particular pleasure in the using the word 'Mommy'. There was a quick and steady transition over the course of the cooking. Near the beginning, Selim had avoided names altogether. Once, he had resorted to pulling on Winry's sleeve to get her attention.

But shortly thereafter, he experimentally dropped it onto the end of a sentence, "I finished! What can I do now… Mommy?"

Selim's face reddened as soon as he said it, but this time no tears. Just a bashful smile accompanied the heat in his cheeks. Ed could not help but notice how much Winry seemed to enjoy it.

Selim used the title a few more times, each with successively less timidity, until finally, nearing the end of the preparation, he called Winry his 'Mommy' as naturally as if it had always been so.

Being honest with himself, Edward was happy. Seeing his spouse and his charge so joyful was wonderful.

Yet, he remained very leery of Selim. Ed found it impossible to overcome his sense of dubiousness at everything the boy did. That was not to say that Selim had ever done anything suspicious. In fact, Selim had never made even so much as a slight facial expression or spoke an odd phrase to suggest that any remnant of Pride's monstrosity had carried over into the orphaned 5-year-old making breakfast with Ed's wife. That did not matter to Ed. He could not let it matter. Back when Ed first met Selim, he had a conversation with him in the library, and was even invited to the Führer's residence to dine with the family. In all this, Selim had done absolutely nothing to reveal his identity as an artificial being bent on the destruction of Amestris and the consumption of humans for his own gain and per Father's wishes.

Part of Ed felt like dismissing this position as over-vigilant. While it was true that Selim had made no mistakes, his interactions had been much more limited that day. Selim was living in the Elric house. He moved in nine days ago. It did not seem likely that the child could keep up such a perfect charade so well for so long.

Ed could not take the risk. His children's lives were at stake. His wife's life was at stake.

"Daddy?"

Edward was immediately dragged back into reality.

Selim was standing in front of him. "Mommy said to go wake up Al and Nina."

Still shaken from being pulled out of his daze, Edward took a moment to regain his composer and respond, "Tell Mommy I said 'okay'." Though it was really unnecessary, seeing as they were all three standing in the kitchen. _Why was Selim delivering the message in the first place?_ Ed wondered. He must have missed something.

Regardless, he left the kitchen to awaken his children, still thinking about the dilemma in which he found himself.

Apparently, he should have waited to resume his rumination, as he failed to notice until he had opened the door to Nina and Al's room and stepped inside that Selim had come with him.

Ed was not happy. While he was certainly nervous about Selim's proximity to his children, Ed was present to oversee it. What truly upset Ed was the realization that Winry had requested this.

 _"Daddy? Mommy said to go wake up Al and Nina."_

This was definitely her intention.

 _Too late to do anything about it now,_ Ed remarked internally as he started to attend to Nina Mae.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Selim approach Alphonse Jr. and lightly shake his shoulder. When Al did not quickly respond, Selim shook a little harder.

Seeing Al stir and open his eyes groggily, Selim declared, fortunately not too loudly, "Breakfast is ready!"

Al slowly sat up, rubbing his face with the sides of his hands.

All the while Selim simply stood, waiting expectantly. Running out of his 5-year-old-sized supply of patience, Selim urged, "You need to get up now!"

Al rolled his legs over the side of his bed and slowly stood up. A few moments later, Al and Selim were both standing and looking at Edward expectantly.

With Nina safely in his arms and waking up at her own pace, Ed turned to the pair and spoke to his son, "Good morning, Al."

"Good morning, Daddy," said Al to his father, and then to Selim, "Good morning, Selim." His pronunciation of Selim's name had improved quite drastically over the past week.

"Good morning, Al," Selim naturally responded.

With all the greetings out of the way, Edward and the kids all slowly moved toward the kitchen.

* * *

As breakfast wound down, Edward prepared to make a decision he did not want to make.

He knew the threat Selim posed to his family. He knew it firsthand. He had a responsibility to his family.

But responsibility to one's family entails more than merely keeping them alive. Winry had made it clear that in looking to their safety, Ed was neglecting much of that responsibility. Up until now, Ed had responded with begrudging concessions. He allowed Winry to watch Selim so that he could be a spend time with his children. He allowed them all to eat meals together. He let Selim sleep in his own separate room so Winry could stay with him.

At this point, Edward needed to acknowledge two things. The first, that the concessions he had made, while they certainly seemed right, had deprived Ed of any ability to protect his family from Pride. The second, that he could never find any proof that Selim was not Pride in hiding. There would never be any evidence that could put all doubt to rest.

With these two thoughts in mind, Ed had found himself forced into a corner. There was only one way forward.

"Winry," Ed requested her attention.

When she granted it, he conceded, "If you want to, you can leave the kids home today."

* * *

 _-Late morning, 12 April 1920-_

"When I heard him suggest it, I nearly choked on my water," Winry told Pinako as the latter made sandwiches for the whole family, the rest of whom were expected to arrive shortly.

"I can see why," noted Pinako. "He's been so adamant about keeping Selim separate. And just this morning the boy decided to call you 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'?"

"That's right," Winry affirmed. "I don't think that's entirely why he changed his mind, but it's definitely a part of it."

"Oh?" Pinako prompted.

"Well, if he wanted to do something bad, he could've done it already," Winry explained.

Pinako remarked, "He could still be planning something longer."

"Of course, but what are we supposed to do? Wait until he dies to decide if we should trust him?" Winry answered.

"That a fair point. I'm sure you've said as much to him," Pinako acknowledged.

Winry continued, "I think what probably really changed his mind was feeling responsible for Selim."

"He _is_ responsible for Selim," emphasized Pinako.

"Yes, he is. And the only way to fulfill his responsibility to his family and to Selim too is to let Selim be part of the family," Winry concluded.

"Ed doesn't think of Selim as a son," stated Pinako flatly.

Winry agreed, "No he doesn't. I just meant not trying to keep him separated from us."

Pinako, seemingly ignoring her clarification, proceeded, "But you do."

Winry protested, flustered, "I mean, I like taking care of him, sure, but I don't think I'd say—"

"So if Ed or the military find someone else to take care of him, that's okay with you?" interrupted Pinako.

Winry was about to qualify her remarks, when she received a sterner-than-usual stare from her grandmother. The meaning was clear: be honest.

"I supposed I might be a little attached to him," she admitted after a moment.

Pinako assured her, "Ed's a stubborn boy. It'll take some time, but he'll come around."

* * *

 _-Late Morning, 12 April 1920-_

Ed may have determined to relax somewhat, but that did not mean his guard was immediately fully down. Thus, he was doing no research today, but instead taking care of Nina Mae while he watched Al and Selim play in the living room.

It occurred to Edward that the pair had never played with each other before, their contact limited entirely to meals. Thus, previous interactions between Selim and Al had been less than notable.

For much of the morning, the duo had attempted to do things Selim enjoyed. Selim was quick to come up with ideas, and Alphonse was happy join in. Unfortunately, some of the things Selim wanted to do were a bit difficult.

After he struggled with a puzzle and Selim crushed him at Snap, Alphonse decided he wanted to play with wooden blocks.

A polite boy with a properly aristocratic upbringing, Selim agreed to comply with Al's determination despite his own doubtfulness at the entertainment value of the activity.

Edward had to retrieve the box of blocks, as is would be too large for the young children to handle. Once he brought it out and opened it up, Al was quick to dive in, creating incredibly rudimentary structures with the simply wooden shapes.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to make a tower more than three or four shapes tall, Alphonse grew quite frustrated, but then seemed to notice the buildings Selim had created.

With his much more advanced spatial skills, Selim had created four well-spaced and slightly less rudimentary structures in the same design, and was currently attempting to bridge the tops.

Enamored by the genius of this new construction, Alphonse turned himself to face the Selim.

"Woah!" exclaimed the enraptured toddler.

"How did you do that?" Alphonse asked enthusiastically.

Ed chuckled to himself as Selim explained his intricate knowledge of block-stacking stability. Smaller blocks go on bigger blocks, and blocks of the same size should have their edges lined up. If you feel really adventurous, you can put a bigger block on a smaller block, but you have to put the small block in the very middle of the big block.

It was really all quite technical, as little Alphonse was learning. In spite of his initial misgivings, Selim seemed to be happy teaching Alphonse. Ed was almost sorry to interrupt them.

Even so, Ed interrupted, "Boys, it's time to go have lunch. Can you put all the blocks back in the box, please?"

Alphonse pouted slightly as he looked at the towers, but before he could do anything, Selim acquiesced, "Okay, Daddy," and began deconstructing his structures.

The younger boy looked surprised and unsure what to do. Ed was trying to figure out what exactly might be going through his son's mind when he declared, "That's _my_ Daddy!"

There was very little emotion in the tone. No hostility or offense. No sadness or mockery. Just a corrective declaration.

Selim, however, suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and it showed. Trying to decide whether he needed to step in, Edward was preceded in action by the child in question.

"He's _my_ Daddy now, too," Selim defended. "He said so. He said I could call him that!" Selim continued, working himself up slightly.

Now Ed knew he needed to step in. But what should he say?

"No, he's _my_ Daddy!" Alphonse argued.

A small voice interjected, "Da da!"

Ed smiled as his daughter uttered one of the few words she had so far learned to pronounce. The quarrelling boys turned to face the sofa on which the daddy in question was sitting and the interrupting party was playing with a nine-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Ed picked up Nina Mae and directed a comment to Alphonse. "Sometimes you have to share," he said with a smile. "Now let's finish putting the toys away so we can eat."

Shifting his daughter to one hand, Ed scooped up the parts of the puzzle and put them on the side table next to the couch, expecting to reuse it in the afternoon.

Alphonse Junior seemed to accept his father's judgement and began putting blocks away.

Selim exuded happiness, joining Alphonse in the clean-up effort.

Minutes later, Edward and the three children set out on the path towards the Rockbell home for a family lunch.

* * *

 **A/N: Eh. I know what I said up top, but I think I'll probably write a bit further before I post. Not that it matters to you, dear reader, because by the time you see this, it'll all have been posted.**

 **Basically, I still have motivation to write. Posting will encourage me to take a break, and I don't want to take a break when I still have motivation. When I run out of motivation, then I'll post what I've got and (hopefully) use the existence of an in-progress story posted online to make me keep going (not that that plan has worked out super well in the past). On a related side-note, by the time you read this I will have updated my other stories. So that's good. I think it's been like two years or something. Yikes.**

 **If you feel up to it, let me know how I've done so far.**

 **Well, that motivation died. It's been a year since then. I have new motivation though, so here we go again!**

 **-Samswimmer (-Kosmokrator)**


End file.
